Ares Armor, a California based gun parts supplier, is refusing to hand over their customer database to the ATF

California-based gun company Ares Armor is currently fending off efforts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to seize not only their 80 percent AR lowers but also the names of 5,000 customers who bought them.

The company has filed a restraining order against a pending ATF raid on the company, which, according to Dimitrios Karras, CEO of Ares Armor, was communicated to him through his lawyer on March 10.

“I was advised that the BATFE had offered to forego obtaining a warrant if Ares Armor was willing to: (a) Hand over all of EP Armory’s 80 percent Lowers, (b) Turn over Ares Armor customer’s private information to the BATFE,” said Karras in a statement.

“In exchange for turning over our customer’s private information, the BATFE said that they would not ‘raid Ares Armor’s facilities and would not pursue ‘criminal’ charges. This made me feel as if I was being extorted,” said Karras.

At the heart of the matter is a series of polymer AR-style 80 percent lowers that Ares had purchased from EP Armory and was reselling. The ATF has argued, based on a determination letter, that the lower is a regulated firearm and not a gun part.

For years Ares has sold 80 percent lowers in both aluminum and polymer. (Photo credit: Ares Armor)

According to Karras, the ATF has incorrectly classified the EP Armory product as a firearm based on faulty information and contends that it is no different from others he has sold in the past. Bakersfield-based EP Armory itself, as well as the home of its owner Chris Cook, was the target of an ATF raid on March 7.

“It seems like ATF is taking the view that the lowers are legally a ‘firearm’ under the Gun Control Act because the can be ‘readily converted’ to a ‘firearm’ So in ATF’s mind they are transferring a ‘firearm” without a NICS check,’ a firearms industry explained to Guns.com Thursday on condition of anonymity.

“While people speak of it, there is no ‘80% rule’ The problem is ATF cannot give any meaningful guidance as to when a piece of metal is just a piece of metal and when it is a ‘receiver’ (a ‘firearm’). In part this is because the case law interpreting ‘readily convertible’ is all over the map, up to and including access to a machine shop for a week,” the expert elaborated.

Karras has obtained a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) from a federal district judge in this matter and is vowing not to turn over any names to the ATF.

“The BATFE has expressed interest in obtaining Ares Armor’s customer list in the past and is now attempting to strong-arm us with undue threats based on information they know to be incorrect. Our customer’s privacy is of the utmost importance to us. I cannot in good moral conscience turn over a list of names to the BATFE just because they unduly threaten us with an unjust raid based on information they know to be false,” Karras wrote on his company’s website.

Ares, a veteran-owned small business in National City, California, is no stranger to controversy, having recently fended off assaults by the city over its rooftop sign. The sign, with an image of an AR-15, has the words “Unserialized. No Registration. Legal.” across the bottom.

As of Thursday the company is still listing several 80 percent lowers for sale on their site, with the exception of the polymer EP lowers.

The ATF advised Guns.com they do not comment on ongoing investigations.

Both Ares and the ATF are set to face off in court on March 20 for a preliminary injunction hearing. Until then, Karras states that, “I am now in constant fear for the safety of my employees, my customers and myself.”

The whole idea of the 2nd amendment was to prevent this sort of tyranny in the first place. We have a right to keep and bear arms and it should be obvious that we have the right to use those arms. It's time to use them to stood this bs. The atria should be met with a band of well armed citizens when they try to carry out this act of tyranny. We can own arms, we can carry those arms, and it's high time we use them.

negative again. The words Assault weapon , Assault Rifle, etc are just political inflamation! The beginning of the class of rifle referred to was the STG44. The Sturm Gewehr model 44 was actually translated as "Storm Rifle". Additional political assertions may be; Assault Hammer, Assault Bat, Assault spoon, Assault fist, etc! Throw out the DEMOCRATS! They are who is doing this!

Another gov't agency using its authority to impose its agenda using its idiotically vague terminology. This is one of the reasons I don't own a bump fire stock- I think it's only a matter of time before they flip on those two and send a bunch of people to prison for illegally manufacturing a machine gun.

a bump fire stock is just that... a bump fire.
it is not multiple rounds fired with the single pull of a trigger. whether it be a hellfire trigger set or a slide fire stock ....that determination has been made multiple times from the NFA technology branch.
of course not using the CFR or US Code, BATF can change their mind at will.

Ruth Dunlap Brackett - i thought the same thing when that idiot said that. Safety??? - that company sells a piece of metal - unless they are throwing it at someone's head there is nothing 'unsafe' about that piece of metal.

An 80% lower in no more a fire arm then a steel bar is a gun barrel. Only when the machining is completed do either become part of a fire arm. But then, the BATFE never deals in common sense. Can anyone say Ruby Ridge and Waco.

How come they can never list who made these claims to them. That is giving a false report to a federal agency. So peopel can make false facts, cost the tax payers, be taken away from real crimes, yet the person filing the claim gets nothing.They should stick to blackmarket ciggarettes.

It seems as if the unprincipled thugs and worthless, lickspittle, bureaucratic toadies of our central government are attempting to precipitate a violent confrontation. Eventually, someone on one side or the other is going to get an itchy trigger finger and set off a bloodbath that is going to be difficult to stop.

I received about 6 mailings from the NRA asking for donations last week alone. I have a box full of them here. Yesterday I received a phone call from them. I told them I already donated and their wasting all my money asking me for more money. If they get their act together and stop wasting so much money asking the same people for more money, they would have the funds they need to take on these cases and we wouldn't be left fighting on our own. I will stay a member but they need to be less wasteful and more helpful or I will stop donating too.

the nra is worhtless. they have caved. the NAGR is the new NRA. violation of right to privacy. you watch. the IRS is going to attack this company . There Obamas thugs. in the mafia, there called soldgers. screw the ATF. they will run this poor business owner into the ground. If i where this guy, i would have my emploees armed to the teeth and when the ATF raids them, shoot the fuckers. they want a war! we will give them one. no surrender, no retreat!

was actually waiting for this sadly, i knew it was only a matter of time. waiting for stabilizing braces to be next because they will consider them an sbr if on a pistol. you can't have a foregrip on a pistol lol.

How about this? Perhaps Ares should invite the ATF to demonstrate for the world how these "firearms" shoot all by themselves. Next, even drawing an image of a gun will be an "illegal transfer" of firearms because, Lord knows, it could leap off that paper and kill someone should the laws of physics suddenly be suspended.

it is not an assault rifle, the word assault rifle was created in the 90's when Sen. Diane Feinstein married the two words together, The AR15 is an Armalite semi auto rifle...damn the stupidity of Media!